


Not Quite A Fairytale

by Ailette



Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Imported, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-27
Updated: 2010-10-27
Packaged: 2018-06-05 11:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6703567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailette/pseuds/Ailette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU... with swords.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Quite A Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is me owning up and posting this, now that nande_daiyo posted hers. D: Just.... a few words. This? Is... random, AU and probably cliché. IDEK. I agreed to write something and since I had just seen Toma's Final Fantasy cm, this is what my brain came up with. I don't have any other excuses. Enjoy. :Db  
> (Originally posted at http://ailette.livejournal.com/60865.html)

All Nino could think was that he should have paid more attention when Sho tried to teach him sword fighting when they were younger. He shouldn’t have protested that it was useless – what else did he have bodyguards for? And he could hold his own in a down and dirty street fight. Surely, that would be everything he’d need to survive.    


Another slash of the sword from the man in front of him and Nino yelped out in pain as it left an ugly looking gash across his arm. The grim expression on the man’s features was relaxing into something eerily close to a grim smile Nino forced himself not to shudder. It wouldn’t do to show weakness.   


“It would be easier to just lay down your sorry excuse for a sword and surrender.” A deep chuckle without any trace of humour in it. “I don’t want to hurt you more than absolutely necessary.”   


Instead, Nino raised his sword up again, giving the impression that he was ready to continue this fight to the last breath. He was nothing if not stubborn, and they both knew it without him having to say it.   


“Never,” he hissed out between clenched teeth. He barely managed to parry the next blow, more by dumb luck than actual skill, but that didn’t matter. The man didn’t even seem to care, just continued to press his blade against Nino’s; relying on his far greater strength to force the smaller man further back into the alley.   


“It’s no use. They won’t come to save you this time. They think you _are_ safe.” For the first time, something like amusement danced in the man’s eyes as he added, “With me.”   


Nino’s back hit the wall and a groan of pain escaped him against his will as his injured shoulder was pressed to the hard surface. The words hit him in a way that he wasn’t expecting. He knew that his bodyguards – his _friends_ – wouldn’t be able to come for him. Wishing for the impossible was useless. Earlier on, when he’d come to in a small and dirty room, hands tied to the chair he was sitting on, he’d still hoped. But even then he’d acted on his own, had run when the opportunity presented itself.   


Only, he hadn’t run far enough. He’d been worried for Toma, who had been with him when someone had knocked him out and had started to look around for his friend instead of running as far away as his feet would carry him. He should have just forgotten about him. He might have felt guilty about it for the rest of his life, but at least he never would have had to find out.   


“I know that,” he bit out and tried to push the younger man back, but it was no use. His arms were already trembling with the effort of keeping the blades away from his throat and there were cuts and bruises all over his body from the fight until now.    


“Then stop it. Stop it before I have to hurt you any further. You know I don’t want that.”    


Nino’s eyes flew wide open at the soft tone of voice and he almost regretted it instantly when he met the other man’s eyes. The soft brown, looking down on him so gently – like their owner still wanted to do nothing more than to hold Nino close and keep him from any harm. Like the last few hours had only been a bad dream, nothing but a nightmare he was now trying to chase away from Nino’s mind.   


“Toma,” he whispered and hated the way he sounded so weak. Toma smiled, almost sadly.   


“I never wanted you to have to find out it was me.   


Those few words were enough to bring Nino back to the reality of the situation, to the way he was bleeding and hurting and desperately trying to get away from Toma before he could be brought back to that place. He screamed, screamed with all his might and used the brief flash of confusion on Toma’s face to slip away to the side.   


The younger man’s blade crashed into the wall, chipping a part of the stone clear off. The distraction didn’t last long enough to put him off his target, however. Angered that he had reacted at all, he charged forward again and this time, finally, Nino’s sword flew away to the side and the older man fell to the ground with a harsh curse.    


Toma knew better than to assume his victory, though. He’d seen Nino fight without weapons more than once – to say that it didn’t befit royalty would be an understatement. Pointing the tip of his sword at Nino’s throat, he tried anyway.   


“Get up.”   


“Why? So you can tie me up and bring me to whoever pays the most money for me?” A sly smirk made its way onto Nino’s lips and Toma inwardly groaned. “You come down here if you want something.”   


If he tried to make a grab for the older man now, he’d be easily evaded. If he sheathed his sword and tried to take Nino by force, he’d have the disadvantage of wearing heavy armour whereas Nino wore his usual light travel attire – even if it was torn and dirty now. And tricking Nino simply wasn’t a realistic option.   


Stalemate.   


The smirk on Nino’s face widened like he could literally see the outcome of Toma’s thoughts. Luckily, it was the middle of the night. No one would just happen to stumble into this alley to find them like this.    


“No longer willing to lie down with me, I see,” Nino said, clear eyes trained on Toma and ready to move quickly should the other man do so.   


“That has nothing to do with anything,” Toma blurted out before he could stop himself. Damn Nino for getting a reaction out of him.    


“Of course not. You’d no longer gain anything if you’d sleep with me now, after all.”   


Toma bit his lip to keep from saying anything more. Obviously it had happened because it would benefit the plan. He’d needed Nino to trust him enough to ask him to accompany him out of his own accord. Anything else would have been suspicious, would have led to questions once Nino had successfully been kidnapped. But nothing involving Nino was ever easy, he knew that now.   


“But then you didn’t gain anything anymore from the moment we set foot on that ship.” Toma watched with unease as Nino’s sharp eyes seemed to lighten up with the realization he was only now coming to. There hadn’t been any time for him to _think_ before. “I couldn’t have sent you back anymore even if I’d wanted to. You didn’t have a reason to stay with me when I got seasick.”   


Nino’s eyes narrowed and Toma took a frantic step forward, trying to somehow stop the older man from reaching any other conclusions. But Nino evaded him with an ease that belied the injuries he had received today and kept a safe distance between them.    


“You didn’t have a reason to come to my room at night when we arrived here. The jobs had already been decided by that time, you already knew you’d be the only one to accompany me to the market this morning.”    


He paused, suddenly looking not quite as sure of himself and his words as he did only a second before and Toma briefly allowed himself to close his eyes when Nino spoke up again with a quieter voice.    


“You didn’t have a reason to kiss me this morning.”   


When he opened his eyes again, Toma felt the resolve in his heart crumble at the look of pure hopefulness on Nino’s face. The older man couldn’t be aware of it; he would never let anyone see him like that otherwise. Especially not Toma – not after what he’d done.    


Toma knew his duty. He had to finish his job. Whether he wanted to or not was no longer the issue – it hadn’t been from the moment Nino had seen him in that room, sitting there comfortably and sipping on his wine with Akanishi. If he could, he might choose differently. He might choose Nino over this job but he’d never been able to leave something halfway. Only now when he was directly confronted with the consequences of his actions could he allow himself to admit that this wasn’t the outcome he wanted. And there was no longer any going back. Nino knew the truth and no longer loved him; he had gone too far for that.   


“It’s too late now,” he whispered, but couldn’t stop from lowering his sword slightly. He’d tried so hard to not pay any attention to his growing feelings for Nino, that it had been far too late by the time he’d realized their extent. But he couldn’t let the other man go anymore, either, if he still valued his own life. It would make him a fugitive in the world’s biggest and most powerful country. It would only be a question of time before they’d catch him and take revenge for the insult of betraying their prince   


Nino didn’t argue his words, but he looked down and Toma knew that he was too stubborn to accept the situation as it was now. It was one of the things that had made him fall so hard. But now, it pained him to see the one he betrayed try to think up a solution for the problems he’d caused. It wasn’t right. And he knew that not even Nino could do it.   


“You still owe me a kiss.”   


Toma almost choked on the air and looked at the man on the ground in disbelief. The resolution he saw there only hardened.   


“You _owe_ me.”   


And Toma weakly let himself fall to the dirty ground, uncaring that his sword clattered loudly as he let it fall next to him. He moved forwards and knew that it was the most stupid thing to do, knew that any moment now Nino would spring forward and kick him in the stomach before running away as far as he could. Closing his eyes now would mean his certain death not too far into the future.    


But for just one last moment, he allowed himself to not care.   


He jolted back in surprise when he felt Nino’s lips against his (the soft sensation too familiar to be mistaken for anything or anyone else); his eyes widened to an almost painful degree. But Nino impatiently bit his bottom lip and advanced on him, kissing him again, properly this time. Toma let his eyes slide shut once more, making his peace with the inevitable.    


Whatever Nino w ou ld decide on.


End file.
